Aperture 3 is the outsider since it’s a Mac-only product and has fallen behind slightly for editing tools, but Capture One Pro 7 has become a strong Lightroom rival.

It’s not there yet as it doesn’t support as many old or non-mainstream raw formats as Lightroom, it doesn’t have as many lens correction profiles and it doesn’t support ‘round trip’ editing in Photoshop.

Phase One traditionally offers a cheaper ‘Express’ version with fewer features, but it’s being tight-lipped about when (or if) there will be an Express 7 (it’s currently at version 6).

The sheer quality of Capture One Pro 7’s raw conversions, the increasing scope of its editing tools, the newly-integrated cataloguing features and the ever-improving DSLR tethering options are all stacking up.

Once, Capture One Pro was a specialised tool for studio professionals; now its appeal is much broader.